Chronozone
by OdnetninAdlez
Summary: Large energy bursts have been occurring throughout Hyrule; much too large for the King to ignore. As such, he sends out a group of scientists to investigate. But one soldier has an idea as to what may be the cause, and along with a talented recon agent from a nearby village, sets out to determine if what he fears is true. Beta-read by Norkix!
1. I - Eon (Part 1)

**A/N: Oh hello. I'm sorta back. Hopefully I can remain back for a long time. This story will be interesting, I hope. Thank you. Yes.**

**In all seriousness, biiiiiig thanks to all the people who've been really great to me on here: alwaysingirl, ZeldaRubix, RoseWing-chan and Norkix. You guys have made me feel things I've never felt before (not in that way you internet hentai!). So, I've come up with this little story that I hope will entertain you all!**

**I'm open for criticism. ALWAYS.**

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I

Eon - Part 1

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Slowly, very slowly, a single leaf began to drift down from a branch, the last to do so on the entire tree. It was crumpled, darkened and dried up, but did not lose any of the charm it once had as it drifted toward the ground, ruffled slightly by a short breeze before settling into the snow with a fluffy sigh.

Almost as suddenly as the leaf hit the ground, the first snowflakes of the day began to float from the sky. No good. Judging by the clouds in the sky, the snowfall would soon become too heavy to see anything.

Sighing, I placed my Hawkeye back into my pouch, careful not to place it near sharp objects in case the lenses got scratched. The cold air flew through my uncovered fingers as my hand moved back, the joints stiffening quickly before I put them back under my cloak to warm them up.

Today was colder than the other days of late, so much so that the stream was beginning to freeze partially, the flow of water slowed down by clumps of ice in the bank. Tentatively, I reached into the stream with my uncovered hand. My fingers twitched at the shocking change in temperature, collected a small handful of water and rose to my mouth. The water had the same effect on my mouth, which shivered slightly at the cold touch.

I wiped my mouth with a hand, then quickly put my scarf back over my mouth. The whole point of the operation was not to be seen, yet I was basically as hidden as 'a naked man waving his hands with a big target on his chest'. Or so I've been told. I'm sure I wasn't doing as bad as that, but I couldn't take any chances. At any moment, an arrow could pierce through the air, my skull and the tree trunk behind me.

_Never mind then_, I thought, disappointed that the weather yet again cut one of my recon sessions short. Getting up, I felt the crunch of snow underneath my furred boot, and a cold wetness began to run up my leg. Cursing under my breath, I made a mental note to take a needle to them when I got back. Everyone was telling me to get rid of the manky fur-skinned rags on my feet, but I had grown attached to them. They certainly held their own and helped keep me comfortable when trekking through the woods on my missions.

I rose steadily, ensuring not to make much noise, and began to trudge through the building snow back toward the town. I was right before; the snow had begun to fall at an almost alarming rate, to the point where I could only see trees a metre from my face. Pulling up my hood and the scarf covering my mouth, I held my hand in front of my face and peered through the white air to see the town's lights. Fortunately, it was starting to get dark, which I would welcome. The darkness would assist me in finding my way back to the town again, and keep me unseen by prying foreign eyes.

After a small trek, the lights of town began to blur into reality, the wind parting the snow to allow for some clearance of sight. There it was. My home town. The small, smelly village of Hogsnest. Why smelly? It was the home of the most pig farmers in Hyrule, even being founded by one (hence the name Hogsnest). It wasn't as glamorous as Hyrule Castle Town or as welcoming as Kakariko Village… but it did what it set out to do: be the best pig farming village in Hyrule.

As I entered, the smell of pigs and their food wafted past me, the familiar scent calming me down and letting me feel at ease. Here was where I felt safest. Among the wild boar surrounding the area and the big burly farm folk living with axes under their pillows, I was certain that this was probably the safest place in Hyrule. The other areas were far too open to be safe. Unfortunately, they were the victims of some vicious attacks, both from the so-called Shadow Beasts and realm of twilight. Thankfully, these occurrences had happened almost thirty years ago. Since then, the only thing heard of was the usual Bokoblin and Moblin raids of villages and petty crimes. I was thankful I would never have to deal with the supernatural. That would just scare me to no end.

It was late. I guessed from the position of the moon it would be roughly five hours before tomorrow's sunrise. Good. That gave me enough time to sleep for a few hours, pack my things and go out for a second recon session in the morning. It was best to avoid talking to the townsfolk. They were nice, but if you were to start talking to them, you'd be stuck for at least an hour.

Regardless, I was thankful that most of them were heavy sleepers. Having passed all the farms and their houses, I entered the residential district of the village. It was small. It would probably take only a few minutes to get from the first to the last house of the village, and that included the market in the middle. Here they sold pretty much nothing except pork and bacon, but on occasion a rare item would pop up, sold to us by a traveling merchant or some such person. It was here I got my Hawkeye, which is probably the most useful tool I've ever had.

I reached my house, opened the door and chucked my bag in the corner as was the routine. It was never boring. I would get sent out by the mayor of the town to perform 'recon sessions' as he would call them. Essentially, all I had to do was watch a Bokoblin tribe that had moved their location near our village a few months ago. Given that Bokoblins were infamous for their raids on villages, I was told to keep an eye on them in case of any suspicious activity. I almost told the mayor that there would be no need, since most of the villagers would be able to kill any threat with their giant meat cleavers. But he was insistent, and I needed the money.

My bed was still messy from last night's tossing and turning endeavour, but I didn't care. My mother was the one who would worry about all this stuff. I did miss her and father since they went to live in Hyrule Castle Town a few years earlier, but I would rather live in Hogsnest than in the busiest place in Hyrule. I would rather wake up to the smell of pig droppings than to the sound of women gossiping. And I would rather carry out my job as a 'recon agent' than be some kind of shop owner in the Town. But that was me and they were them. Differences aside, I loved them and I have been saving up money to buy a horse and go and visit them but, early days. It didn't help that I would blow my savings on the latest gadget on the market whenever it popped up. Otherwise, I was trying my hardest.

I wasn't hungry in the slightest, something which I was very grateful for. Ordinarily if I ate before I slept, I would wake up with a pain in my stomach and a few hours spent trying to recover. Such was my impulsive personality that I would usually give in to my hunger pangs even if it meant losing out on a day's pay.

I changed out of my white cloak and clothes, which were all wet from laying the snow for the whole day. It was when I took off my wet boots that I realised that it was freezing cold, and I was not wearing adequate clothing. My body began to shiver violently, making it difficult to unbutton my undershirt. I needed to light a fire before anything else; otherwise I risked dying from hypothermia in my sleep. I had a good supply of firewood left for the rest of the month so I just decided to heap on a lot and get some more later on. Striking the flints, my frozen hands felt waves of warmth begin to spread through the sharp rocks. Sparks flew, nestled into the firewood, and a flame was born. If I was ever glad any creation of Din, it would be fire. It was something I and the other townsfolk would use often, as it was often cold here.

I took off my wet clothes and laid them beside the fire, hoping that there would be enough time for the fabric to dry off by tomorrow. I've done recon sessions in the snow with wet clothes before, and it isn't at all pleasant. By the time I came home I found that ice had begun to form in the creases of my cloak and scarf. I had to skip a day's wage too as I came down with sickness afterwards. It wasn't an easy job, but it was exclusive to me, so I loved it.

Resisting the urge to eat a porkchop out of boredom, I put on my nightclothes and lay down in bed, waiting for the fire to die out. I knew if I left it alone it would misbehave and burn my modest little place down, so it was always something I had to keep an eye on. Sleep wasn't an issue, with the cold winds permanently prying my eyes open every time I left the house. So I stayed sitting up and took out a book I had been reading: _Ways of the Bokoblin (and How to Interact with Them Peacefully)_. It was pretty comprehensive, but I was everything I needed. I often took it with me when I went to scout out the Bokoblin camp. Really, it was my lifeline, since it could get me to negotiate or calm down the Bokoblins if I was ever captured by them. They were primitive, but they could communicate, and that's all I needed to know. I wouldn't be any good in a fight anyway.

As the night progressed, I read through pages I had already covered years ago, refreshing my memory for subjects like Bokoblin diet to Bokoblin interactions. As I was in my own little world, sounds began to spring forth from the streets; the very first words of the rising sun coming from a hungover old man. My fire was slowly dying, which allowed me some peace of mind. I decided to close my eyes and try to sleep for a while, knowing that it would only be two hours or so before the first Cucco call and the signal for everyone to get back to work. Including me.

Slowly, the drunken ramblings grew fainter, and the world grew dimmer. Succumbing to my body's wishes, I closed my eyes and lay back, thankful at least that I could get a couple hours' sleep before the next day.

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XxX

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_Somebody's in here… _

My eyes flew open in shock, my reflexes firing at all cylinders at the presence in my room. Before I could do anything, however, a gloved hand reached down and palmed my mouth. My eyes darted back and forth around my room, trying to see any escape route, any weapon I could use. But I couldn't move; this person's weight was holding me down. I heard metal clank together as they moved.

"Shh," they hushed me softly. It was a soothing sound, though I was anything but calm at this time.

"Shh," they breathed again, "If you make any sound, they will find you."

The voice was deep and sounded distinctly male. Having given them a once-over, I was convinced that it was a man holding me down. Their face was covered by a scarf and hood, so that only their eyes could be seen. I was hesitant to trust this person, but at the same time I felt that something was amiss.

"Listen," the man whispered softly. "I need to you co-operate so that we can get things done right. But you must be absolutely quiet or it's the end for both of us. If I take my hand away will you be quiet?"

Tough choice. On the one hand, I had no reason to trust this man, whose hand was so well-acquainted with my mouth that it could probably marry it. But on the other, I could tell something wasn't right. The air felt heavier, and it was darker than it was before I went to sleep. I tried to use my senses to gauge the situation. My eyes saw only this man's outline and covered face. My nose took in the smell of gunpowder laced on his glove, quite fresh. My mouth tasted my own spit mixed with the soot on his hand, which I tried to not to swallow. My ears heard the wind softly rattling through the house and the crackling of a fire. Wait… what?

I was overcome with curiosity. I needed to know what was going on around me, and fast. So I nodded slowly, my eyes showing sincerity that I would not betray this man's trust.

His eyes showed acknowledgement, and he removed his hand. I sat up quickly and looked around the room, more specifically at the fire. It was fully blazing as when I first lit it, not dying out as I had seen it before. There was no extra firewood on there that I saw, my supply largely untouched. I could hear myself give a noise of confusion, which the man also picked up on. He got off me and sat at the end of my bed.

"I know you're confused and rightly so, but we have to get out of here right now. You're in danger."

I could barely register his words, but something about his urgent voice was compelling, making me listen to every word.

"What's going on?" I asked, sitting up and squeezing my legs through the gap he left, leaving them on the floor.

"No time now. You need to collect everything important. And wear something durable. Don't worry about food or water. Just take clothes, oil, Rupees… anything like these things."

'Everything important' was in my satchel for when I went out for recon sessions. 'Durable' clothing fit into my recon clothes and cloak. I stood and went on to put them on. The man got up as I dressed, pacing back and forth, always looking out the window. He was wearing almost the same clothes as me but a different colour. While I had a white cloak and green clothes to conceal me in the forest, he was wearing all black, with hints of green. The Hylian Crest was embroidered in gold in the back of his cloak, tattered but recognisable.

"Okay," the man said quickly when I was finished dressing. "You have absolutely everything important?"

"Uh, yes..?" I half-asked, wondering why it was so important that I have this stuff.

"Sure? Because once we leave, there's no coming back."

I laughed, the melodrama catching me off guard. The man stared at me with stern eyes.

"This is no laughing matter. Your life is at stake here."

I stifled a second laugh at his melodramatic seriousness, and nodded.

"Yes, everything important. All in here."

He nodded brusquely.

"Okay, let's get out of here."

He opened my door with a push, and it slammed against the wall outside. I cringed. So much for being quiet.

"Quickly, this way," he whispered. I obliged, too tired to argue. He ran outside, looking left and right frantically as he came to my street's crossroads.

"This way," he said, sprinting off to the left. I sighed as I followed, my feet having not fully woken up. I wondered what the heck I was doing, following this guy who I've never met into the street in the middle of the night. But then again, it shouldn't be the middle of the night. It should be nearing morning.

"Quickly now. We don't want them to catch up to us."

He vaulted a wall and continued sprinting through the streets, towards the woods. I vaulted it quite a bit more slowly and ran as fast as I could to keep up with him. If anything I knew that this man was very acrobatic and athletic. I, on the other hand, wasn't so nimble.

"What… are you… talking about?" I gasped between breaths. He didn't let up, seeming to have all the energy he began with.

"I'll explain when we get to the woods. Right now we don't have time to stop and talk. It'll be a long talk, after all."

I groaned inwardly as I kept running. On the bright side, I could start my recon shift a bit earlier than usual. Maybe even get a bit more pay for more hours. At least I would if the mayor wasn't such a skinflint.

We came to another crossroads. The man stopped and stared straight ahead, at the looming forest only a few minutes' run ahead.

"Almost at the forest now. Quickly."

I was glad this little endeavour was almost over. If my lungs were any indication, I had had enough exercise to last me for the next year. He vaulted the wall which led into the forest and kept running. I sighed, thinking that I would be able to stop running as soon as the forest was reached. Such is life, I suppose…

We ran for about another five minutes before the man finally came to a halt. I stopped just before him, collapsing onto the ground.

"No time to rest now. We have to climb," he said, pointing to the tree ahead of him. I groaned and rose from the ground. I suspected I wasn't going to like him very much.

Thankfully we were both adept at climbing, so keeping up with him this time was easy. When we got to the top, he lay down on his waist on a thick branch, pulled out a Hawkeye, and surveyed the town. I was surprised.

"Oh, you have a Hawkeye too?" I asked. I had thought they were quite a rare novelty, being relatively new technology.

"I do. Very useful, especially for recon," he answered, still scanning the town.

"Recon..?"

"Shh," he hushed. "You're gonna get part of an explanation fairly soon."

"Part of an explanation?" I couldn't keep up.

"Just hold on tightly to your branch and keep looking at the town square."

He put his Hawkeye away and hugged his branch tightly. I did so too, realising it was all but futile to ask any more questions. The only speech he had used was to give me an order, whether it is to run this way or that. And I _still_ didn't know why I was doing this.

"You know I still don't get this. What are we doing in this tree in the middle of the night?"

He turned to face me, eyes intense but weary. The sound of the town drunk's ramblings floated to my ears, as soothing as the alcohol that birthed them.

"Like I said," he whispered in a hushed voice. "Part of an explanation."

As soon as the last word left his mouth, I heard a colossal bang which rocked the tree from side to side, wind rushing past as if like birds flying from a loud noise. I struggled to stay on the branch as it swayed, the wind shoving it back and forth. One of my hands started to lose its grip, and I yelled at the thought of falling from this height. The man remained on his branch, clearly hanging on for dear life but trying not to show it.

"Stay still! Don't struggle!" I heard him yell over the ringing in my ears.

I did so, trying to calm myself down. Soon the branch stopped swinging, and all that could be heard was the sound of a crackling fire. The smell of burning wood and metal filled my nostrils, pungent and black. I looked down in horror from the branch, trying to hold on but almost slipping. The fire was burning steadily, but it would be finished by the time the sun rose. Then the hungover people of Hogsnest would awaken and begin their daily duties. Except they couldn't. Because there was no farms. No pigs. No Hogsnest.

It had been burnt down to its very foundations.


	2. II - Eon (Part 2)

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix, Norkix and SuccessfulFailure23 for reviewing last chapter!**

**ZeldaRubix: Glad to be back, ZR! I'm happy to know you're always here reviewing my stories. It means a lot to me! And yeah, I think my writing has matured since my last contribution on here. _Definitely_ improved since Visions haha. Oh, and btw, I don't go to school anymore haha :) PM me to hear more if you want lol.**

**Norkix: Thanks for the review man! As mentioned above, I definitely think my writing has improved. I guess things just get better with age hehe. Oh, and I hope I can bring this character more out of their shell in the future ;D (Thanks for the work you did on this chapter btw ^_^")**

**SuccessfulFailure23: Thanks for reading! I'm glad you liked that last one, considering it was really only an establishing chapter. I hope you find this and other future chapters much more interesting! Also, I know it was quite odd that this person was so impressionable, but all will be explained in due time :) Thanks again!**

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_Special Note_: As of this chapter and beyond, this story is being beta-read by **Norkix**! Thanks to him very much for his input and putting up with my future questions and blocks in advance haha. He just recently completed his biggest project to date on this site: Majora's Revenge. It's a great story! Funny and epic in just the right blend. Read it if you ship RomLink too!

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II – Eon Part 2

The smouldering cinders of Hogsnest presented themselves to me, a soft orange and black hue now decorating the vibrant green that once filled the village. A work of art once, now an incoherent mess of colour. Everything was burnt down; the farms, the houses… the people. All that remained standing were the charred fenceposts surrounding the pigpens, but even they were starting to give way to their weight, falling one on top of the other like soldiers dying in battle.

The tree we were clinging on to had stopped shaking, with only the leaves swaying lightly in the morning breeze. I couldn't speak. My mouth had gone dry, and not only because of the smoke rising to the sky. My nostrils filled with the stench of smoke and cooked meat, that of both the pigs and their masters. Having that thought made me squirm in righteous agony. Everything I once knew was gone. All the people that once had lives here, who were to be woken up in the morning by their wives or the smell of their livestock, were now dead. The questions remained, however. What and why?

The man laying above me held his breath, presumably to avoid taking in any more smoke than we had already inhaled, and sidled backwards on his branch, beginning his descent. At least two minutes had passed since the explosion. Since then, neither of us had said a word. I had no explanation, or 'part of one', that would justify what I had seen. And I felt something I don't commonly feel, a sense of injustice that made my stomach feel cold and my heart beat faster. Although the air was warm, I felt cold. I felt numb. The only things rushing through my head were the people of Hogsnest and my interactions with them… or rather the fact that there would be no more.

"Are you coming down?" the man shouted from ten branches underneath me. Although his voice seemed a million miles away, I still heard it. I grew indignant.

"No, I'm not coming down!" I shouted back, even though we were barely apart from each other. "I would rather stay up here and see the mess that's been made of my village. What the hell happened?"

The man sighed and continued his descent. I guessed that I wouldn't get any answers out of him without both of us being at ground level, so I put my foot on the lowest branch I could reach and also started climbing down. He sighed when I got to him, a long sigh like he was telling a story he wished no more to tell. Soon after, the sound of Bokoblin words started to emanate from the ashes, along with a scuffling of feet every which way.

"Follow me," the man whispered. "We don't want them to hear us."

"Are they responsible for this?" I asked, not caring about the volume or tone of my voice.

"In a way. But I think something bigger is happening that they're just involved in. A scheme for a higher power."

As we walked further away from Hogsnest, I played everything over in my head, trying to grasp answers that floated past. What was so powerful as to destroy an entire village in an instant, not even setting it alight in the first place? Why, when I woke up, was my fire fully blazing, though I clearly remembered it going out? And what of the town drunk? I heard him both before and after I went to sleep. I couldn't wrap my head around these questions. I was only able to find a logical explanation for the second and third, and they weren't even plausible.

"Almost there," the man said. I noticed how strong he looked, even though I could barely see his actual body. Through the cloak I could see he had taut muscles, and the way he moved seemed to have an air of authority to it. I judged from the Hylian Crest on his cloak that he was a soldier of the Hylian Guard. But he seemed familiar somehow, like I had seen him elsewhere before.

Soon, we came up to a mountainside. There was a small alcove in it, and in front, a horse stood guard. It was terrifyingly beautiful, being the colour of midnight, contrasted with white socks and a silver mane. Its muscles, like the man's, were also strong and toned, suggesting that it had done a lot of running in its life. I assumed that it was a cross-breed of two species, since I had only ever seen a pure black or pure white horse before, and only in books. It was quite amazing to look at, really.

The man led me to the opening of the alcove. As I walked past the horse, it snuffled and leant towards me. Good to know it was friendly.

Inside shone a light from a torch, which stood on the wall near the entrance. The man grabbed it and beckoned me inside. For a split second I thought to run. Just kick up my feet and run anywhere else but here. The man was unnerving in the way he acted. He had mystery to him, though it didn't make me want to learn more. But where would I go?

The alcove wasn't very deep, and soon we came up to a pile of ash surrounded by bricks. Nearby was a pile of wood, one of which the man placed on the ash. He motioned for me to sit on one of the tree stumps next to the bricks while he prepared a fire.

In this time, I reflected on my life in Hogsnest. I always found it ironic that a split second could literally change your life. In my case, it had left me homeless, jobless, and had killed all those I held dear. I did not like change, and living in Hogsnest I didn't think I would ever have to change anything. But now… this had happened. I was forced to change.

However, I had another chance, thanks to this man. Maybe it was just because he pulled me away from the ruins, but I subconsciously felt the need to trust him with my life. But that being said, why only me? Did he not have time? Or was I chosen for a reason? I needed answers, and soon. I decided to start with the main thing on my mind.

"I feel like I know you from somewhere..."

"You might," the man replied, not looking up from his activity.

"Are you a soldier?"

"Yeah, but that might not be where you know me from." He gathered some dry grass and laid it out on the wood.

My memory was too foggy for me to guess who he was, so I just asked.

"What's your name? Maybe then I would know."

He grabbed some flint stones and began striking, trying to get the sparks to land on the grass.

"Link," he answered nonchalantly, continuing to strike the flint stones together. My jaw dropped halfway down my abdomen.

"Link?! The Link? The Hero of Twilight Link?" I shouted within three seconds.

"I don't like those titles, really. But yeah. That Link."

I had only heard tales of this man, some people who thought he was simply a myth. The man who had bravely fought off the darkness that was once enveloping the land of Hyrule. One man almost single-handedly saved the kingdom from an ancient evil and even allowed for the study of a completely new race, one which had never been encountered before: the Twili. Since the scourge of twilight had ended, new discoveries in magic had been made, with many learning the ways of the Twili. And I was standing in front of the one man whom some people didn't even know existed. But that wouldn't stop him being an imposter.

I regained my once scattered exposure and straightened out the collar of my cloak.

"The Hero of Twilight is known to be the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, which is a partial reason as to why he could do the things he did."

'Link' had been striking the flints for a full minute now, not looking up once. Whoever this man was, I could tell he was a focused man, never looking away from the task at hand.

"So," I carried on, trying to keep the anticipation out of my voice, "if you are the Hero of Twilight, as you so claim, you must bear the Triforce of Courage."

"I do. Sometimes I wish I didn't, but I do," he replied.

Finally, a spark ignited the grass, and 'Link' clenched his fist in a celebratory display.

"May I see?" I was shivering. Although in the back of my mind I thought there was a small chance he wasn't who he claimed, this was akin to meeting one of the royal family of Hyrule.

He stretched out his right hand, which I took. My eyes bored into the back of his hand like a fortune teller. Suddenly, three brown triangles formed before my eyes, and ever so slightly the bottom right one pulsed with a golden light. This was no tattoo. He was the real Hero of Twilight.

I gasped and lowered my hand slowly. Link's hand retracted into his cloak and he shivered slightly, scuttling a bit closer to the fire. Either he didn't know the gravity of what just happened or he didn't care, but my eyes grew ever wider the more I stared at his blue eyes.

I was in the presence of a legend, a man who answered to the royal family and was blessed by the Goddesses themselves! To say that this was the most important day of my life so far would be an understatement.

Now, I was a simple man. I had no idea of how to react to this news. I did not speak to royalty often. Even the mayor of Hogsnest would sometimes only give me jobs through his secretary. But while I was in his presence, and when I greeted and left him, I would perform obeisance. My mother always said that if I were to greet someone of authority, I should bow low and wait until they tell me to raise my head. So I did just that.

"Whoa, hey! What are you doing?" Link exclaimed, surprised. I jumped, my head shooting up.

"Uh, performing obeisance?" I had the feeling my mother gave me some duff advice. Link shook his head quickly.

"Save that for the royal family. I am not a prince or a king or anything. I'm just a simple country kid who wanted to save his friends. I didn't know what would happen when I followed them, but I never thought I would be involved in some sort of higher purpose."

"But you're the Hero of Twilight… I feel as though I should respect you in some form."

"Just respect me by treating me like anyone else, kid. I'm no hero. I'm just someone who wanted to save those he cared about. Anything else I did along the way was just a quest on the side."

Him saying that made me respect him so much more. He was so humble in what he did, a quality I strived to imitate in my life but often failed to.

"Oh, well… thank you," I said sheepishly. "And… thank you for saving me."

"I'm sorry I couldn't save anyone else," he muttered, "but time had gotten away from me."

I felt as though he had saved me for some higher purpose, something that was special about me that no one else in Hogsnest had. He seemed somewhat down about the fact that he couldn't save anyone, however, so I didn't press the matter.

He looked up at me with his azure eyes. Again, I was floored. Even though he had told me to treat him as anyone else, I couldn't get over the authority he had, the raw intensity of his eyes. The things he must have seen, while terrible in nature, had given his eyes the stern look of leadership and courage that people would feel safe with.

"I forgot to ask, how rude of me!" he exclaimed, palming his forehead in exasperation. "What's your name, kid?"

His question caught me off guard. I really shouldn't be getting lost in thought here and now of all places and times.

"A-Azelon," I stuttered.

"A lovely name," he mused. "The Hylian word for 'airborne'. Your parents didn't happen to spot a bird as they named you, did they?" He laughed musically, his voice echoing off the walls and mingling with our pulsing shadows.

"I think it had been my father's dream to fly. A foolish dream, to be sure. I guess he wanted his dream to passed onto his son."

Link scoffed. "Not foolish at all, Azelon. I myself have been to the sky before."

The way he said things were so ordinary, as if he were talking about that one hike he went on the other day. I mean, going to the sky? What kind of ridiculousness was that? Definitely one I would like to see, that's for sure.

"You've been… to the sky?" My mind skipped a thought trying to process that word sequence.

"I have. Home to an interesting folk, for sure. Very quirky and odd looking. But hospitable, definitely."

He palmed his forehead again.

"Ah, what am I doing? This isn't the time for us to be talking about other things. There is a matter of great importance I have to discuss with you."

I sat up like a child awaiting a story, my eyes widened with curiosity.

"A few years after the end of twilight, a discovery was made, far away from Hyrule. This discovery was made by a Hylian merchant who was selling his goods in this far-off land."

"What did he find?" I asked, finding myself caught up in the drama of the story.

"He found something of great power… a mineral which could grant people power over one of the things they had always wished to manipulate. The power of time."

I was thrown off somewhat.

"The power of time? To control it?" It seemed even more far-fetched than his adventure in the sky.

"Yes. Let me explain."

I knew the Hero of Twilight wouldn't speak of something he didn't think to be true. It just wasn't possible. Besides, I could tell he wasn't lying since his eyes had grown ever more intense since he started the story, if that were even possible.

"This merchant had only brought back a small amount of this mineral, which has been given the name aevium. However, in the land where he had obtained this mineral, it was plentiful. Just the area he had searched in contained enough to fill his wagon six times over. That was only a few acres of grassland."

As the night bore on, the fire began to dim, and our shadows started to fade out of existence. Link carefully placed another piece of wood on the fire.

"Nonetheless, this merchant brought back as much as he could, but kept it hidden from everyone he came across. He took it into his home, researching its properties and experimenting with it. He wrote down all he had discovered, keeping large journals of his findings. For years, his life was focused only on this field of study."

"He sounds like such a learned man," I remarked. "Why would he simply be a merchant?"

"The one thing people of his kind love to do is to discover things that were before unknown; to understand the innermost workings of the world," Link replied. "Being a merchant afforded him time and the ability to travel to new places while still making money. But regardless, his research went on for many years after he discovered aevium. Unfortunately for him, he did not live in a well guarded town like Hyrule Castle Town. He lived in a simple hut, which he had built himself."

"A simple hut?" I repeated incredulously. "Did he not have family?"

"He was quite old, so I think his parents had died around the time he made the discovery. But it is believed that he had no wife or children. He was the kind of person to focus more on his work rather than building relationships."

"I see…" I said, nodding. "A lonely life, then."

"I think he was satisfied with what he accomplished," Link said with a shrug. "However, things didn't go well for him for very long."

"Oh?" The juxtaposition of events made me sit up with anticipation.

Link leaned forward, gazing into the flames as he laced his fingers together. "As his hut was in a place unguarded by the Hylian Guard, he had no protection against any of the monsters that lived in the forests surrounding him. It's a miracle that he stayed alive with his house intact for so long. But one day he just got unlucky. A Bokoblin tribe were looking for Hylians to rob, and they had just hit the big time."

"Oh..." As I observed the Bokoblin tribes as part of my recon duties, I knew how tough and violent they could be. The one thing I did know is that they left no survivors in their raids. I uttered a silent prayer to Farore to watch over the man's soul, and carried on listening.

"They raided his home and killed him without hesitation. He didn't even have a chance to grab something to defend himself with. They took as much as they could. The usual stuff: Rupees, gold, anything of value. And…" He paused, looking me in the eye. "The aevium stones."

"They stole something with the power to control time?!" I exclaimed. Even though the Bokoblins weren't all bright, giving them a power such as that would be incredibly dangerous, given their violent and merciless tendencies.

Link nodded. "That, and the man's writings, which had information on what the stones did, how to use them, and worst of all, the location in which to obtain them."

"No way..." I breathed.

He nodded once more. "Soon they organised a party who would be in charge of travelling to this new land and bringing back more of the aevium. They remained undetected for many months, and during this time they made many trips to this land. Very soon they had a huge supply of aevium, ready to use however they pleased. But..." He paused, running a hand through his sandy hair and grinning. "The Hylian Guard soon found them with their pants down."

I laughed abruptly. That sentence alongside the seriousness of the story was such a jarring moment that I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sorry," I managed to wheeze. "Carry on, carry on." I waved my hand to signal him to go on with the story.

"One group of the Bokoblins attempted to make a raid on a village… which the Hylian Guard was coincidentally visiting for protective purposes. A big fight then ensued—which the Hylian Guard won handily—and the Bokoblins took off. But they had left some precious cargo behind: the aevium stones and some of the merchant's writings."

"Oh, fantastic!" I beamed widely. I had great respect and trust in the Hylian Guard.

Link nodded with a small smile. "After having read through these writings a little, they immediately took them and the aevium stones to Hyrule Castle. After liaising with the royal family, they left the writings and the stones with the Hylian alchemists, who poured even more research into the aevium. And they found out many things about it."

"For a noble cause, I'm sure," I remarked.

"Yes, they work under the royal family and give all their information to them." He frowned then, his tone growing serious once more. "But remember that the Bokoblins still had a huge supply of these stones. The Hylian Guard only got a fraction of the stash they had back home, so the royal family grew concerned. Therefore they gave the Hylian Guard the priority of finding and searching Bokoblins who travelled in groups in order to get more information on where the supply was coming from."

He paused and sighed. The fire was three quarters of the way through the log, but he didn't bother to put another on top. I assumed his tale was coming to an end.

"That's where we are now. We've been searching for this supply for the last twelve years, but we haven't found it. We've found a lot of aevium and the rest of the writings from the Bokoblins we have encountered, but not the main supply. And that's not taking into account the fact that they know where to get more."

"That is a huge problem," I agreed. "After all they could use the aevium to make raiding people's homes far easier."

"It's not just that that I'm concerned with," Link said grimly. "With aevium, they have the potential to unleash a devastating power the likes of which Hyrule has never seen before. In the wrong hands, aevium could end all life in Hyrule as we know it. Or…" He looked me in the eyes. "The world."

The weight of those words crashed down on me, and I fell silent for a while. "I didn't know it could run that deep," I said at last.

"Time may be the most powerful thing in the world right now. That we know of."

He took a stick and poked at the dying fire, a shower of embers raining down like a fountain. The fire was dying slowly, our shadows darkening along with it. It was pitch black outside, and the sounds of night slowly faded into life.

"It's getting late now, and there is much more to discuss. But right now, we must get some rest."

I nodded. I was definitely tired from meeting a legend and having him tell me of amazing new discoveries. I had the feeling that this may be my last sleep where I could wake up and stay in my bed. The gravity of the situation would be in the back of my mind for a long time. Link chose me to save for a reason, and it involved the aevium. Something big was going to happen. As the dying embers faded out of existence, I mourned the villagers of Hogsnest for one last time.

My biggest mission was about to begin.


	3. III - Eon (Part 3)

**A/N: Thanks to ZeldaRubix and SuccessfulFailure23 for reviewing last chapter! **

**ZeldaRubix: Thanks ZR! And yeah, it may already be obvious that Azelon's quite the fan of Link haha. But I like Link to be cool and carefree, so that's what I'm going for haha.**

**SuccessfulFailure23: Thanks for reviewing! And... well you may get a bit of clarification in this chapter. If not, like you said, time will tell! And I'm glad you guys like Link in this story, but I must thank Norkix for giving him a bit more of a personality in that chapter than I did hehe.**

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**I hope Norkix doesn't mind but I might just mention him every chapter from here on out in these author's notes! It's the least I can do with him catching my mistakes all the time; that and being an awesome guy in general lol. So go and check him out if you get the chance! Really! After you read this chapter go to his profile! DO IT!**

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III – Eon Part 3

As I woke up, I smelt cinders of fire slowly fading away in my nostrils, filling my mind with a strong feeling of nostalgia. I had the most beautiful dream; that of attending a barbecue with many people from Hogsnest. The pigs were plentiful, and sometimes the numbers would become too much for the farmer. As a result, whoever had a surplus of pigs would host a barbecue for most of the village… at least, enough people to pick four whole hogs clean to the bone. More often than not, after the ale had been broken out, there would be a fistfight, too. It tended to be over within five minutes, with no injuries being too serious since they were a tough bunch. Also-

"Ah, so you're awake, I see," Link said from behind me. I reflexively tensed.

_How did he know I was awake by looking at my back?!_

"Uh, yeah..." I yawned, rolling over to see what he was doing. He was in the process of striking flints again, sparks landing harmlessly on the grass he had laid out on top of a wood pile. I could tell simply by looking that it was never going to work. The grass was too damp. I imagined he had simply picked some up while there was still morning dew.

I sat up, dusting off my cloak. Link's brow was starting to glisten in the light, and his flint-striking grew more feverish.

"Come on..." he muttered to himself. His hair flopped over one eye but he ignored it.

"Um, how long have you been striking those?"

"Oh… not… important," he said between strikes.

"It won't light, you know. That grass is far too wet."

"But it's dry outside the cave!" he said indignantly, striking fiercely over and over again. As usual, sparks flew but nothing occurred.

"Why are you trying to light a fire now, anyway?" I asked.

"Because I want to have a hot meal for once. Don't feel like eating nuts and berries for another breakfast."

His hair finally got the best of him and he swept it back, wiping his sweat as he did so. I looked at him. His eyes were concentrating very hard on his work, eyebrows like a seagull spreading its wings over two intense orbs. Looking at the grass again, it would be hours until the water from grass would evaporate and he would get a good spark going. Especially in the cold weather that was going on now. It was actually quite anomalous. After all, it was coming to the beginning of March soon. I would expect rain showers and the odd storm, but not snowfall.

I stood and sighed, stretching my spine, hearing dozens of clicks travel up it as my vertebrae shifted into gear. New day, new posture.

Link was still striking at the flints, muttering something about 'blasted stones' or something of that nature. Time to put him out of his misery.

"Um, Link? Don't worry about that for now. I can get us some good material from outside, if you'd prefer?"

Link sighed heavily and dropped the stones, defeated.

"Well I'm sure not gonna get anything done with this stuff. Thanks for offering, Azelon." He smiled, wiping his brow and dusting off his hands.

I smiled back, glad to be of service to the _Hero of Twilight_. That title made me internally squeal with girly delight. My Goddesses, I'm surprised I could even contain myself after talking to him on such a personal level, let alone offering assistance to him!

"Okay, be right back!" I exclaimed, a little too excitedly, and darted off outside the cave.

"Don't get lost!" Link shouted back.

I scoffed self-assuringly. I didn't just explore around Hogsnest, you know. I explored quite a large radius around the village, seeing Bokoblins and trailing them back to their camps. Sometimes I would even be gone a day or two, being forced to camp out on a branch with only my thin cloak to cover me from the winter winds. I didn't have many spectacular talents like swordplay or archery, but I knew what I was good at, and that was recon and survival skills.

As I left the cave, the wind tussled my hair. Link's horse snuffled and looked at me with those round, brown eyes. I was unsure as to how Link procured such a magnificent horse, but I'd be damned if I didn't say it was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. The cold wind made its hair look like it was shimmering in the light. I walked up to it and patted it softly. It snuffled and leant towards me in a display of trust. I didn't know much about horses but I knew this was a pretty good sign that you're in for a good relationship with one.

I waved goodbye to the horse and sauntered off in search for some nice dry grass. Link really couldn't have picked a worse day to light a fire; there was still patches of unmelted snow strewn across the field. It didn't make it any better that there was frost across the entire area, making for an eerily lovely grey morning. I thrived in the cold. My mother often called me a lizard. I didn't have the heart to tell her she was using the analogy wrong.

I had walked for about five minutes, craning my head to find even one little patch of preferably dead brown grass, but there was nothing. The air was so damp that the wood wouldn't be dry enough to catch the sparks. Nothing for it. I had to go back.

Suddenly, I heard a harsh voice, shouting commands in a nasally, beastly language. It was coming from the woods about a minute's walk away. I could recognise that language as if it were my own; the tongue of the Bokoblin. I strained my ears to try and catch some words from the speaker.

"Don't drop… need… power… throw that..."

The words wouldn't form a sentence, and it didn't help that the wind ruffling through my clothes was causing a bunch of conflicting noise. I needed to get closer.

Without thinking, I felt myself running towards the woods. When I reached the first tree, I crouched and leant against it, turning my body so as to get a better angle for the sound to project to my ears.

"No, don't play with the- ah, for goodness' sake, you lot are useless. They could have given me a group that obeyed commands more readily," a nasal voice called out in Bokoblin. It was a very rough dialect, common in the leaders of the packs. At least that's what I found during my research.

"Come now! If you're going to be ready for the raid you have to learn how to use these stones well!"

_Raid_? My heart's pace quickened. I finally caught them in the act!

"But sir," a smaller yet equally nasal voice whimpered, "No matter what we do they just won't work. They just stay the same."

"You're just not using it properly. Give it here!" the authoritative nasal voice commanded. A slapping noise echoed through the branches. Then - "See? Nothing to it."

"Oh. Thanks sir."

I was confused, yet curious. What were they talking about? Stones? That couldn't be… the aevium?!

Curiosity overrode any common sense and I dashed out from cover, running through the trees and following the voices in an attempt to get a closer look at the group. After two minutes, I spotted a wagon in a clearing, surrounded by a haphazard formation of Bokoblins. A few were swinging crude wooden clubs. One group were fighting and pulling each other's hair, but no-one took any notice. Others too were sitting and talking near the horses, and one – who I assumed was the leader of the group – was standing on the back of the wagon, while six Bokoblin sat in front of him, mesmerised. They were holding some lumps of rock. I felt goosebumps.

"Now this discovery is something of incredible importance to us, the Bokoblin. It is our ticket to greater advancement in technology and power! Ever since Knight Gaarda found these-"

_Yeah, more like stole, and killed an old guy in the process._

"-We now have the means to a higher power, one otherwise only accessible by the Gods themselves!"

He held his stone aloft. It was noticeably larger than the 'students''.

"Watch carefully now..." he said, cradling his rock like a newborn son. Unlike what any parent would have then done, he smacked the rock hard.

For a second, nothing happened. Then… the stone began to pulse with a vivid blue pattern. The Bokoblin's face lit up with excitement and the stone begin to quiver and pulsate.

Suddenly, a wave of blue energy pulsed outwards, enough to reach the edge of the clearing but not where I was hiding. I had to shield my eyes, for even in the daylight the pulse of light stung my eyes as it travelled outwards. When I looked back, my jaw dropped to the ground. The leader of the Bokoblin had settled the rock down and jumped down from the wagon. The stone continued to glow and pulse with that pattern of light. Everything appeared normal. Except it wasn't.

The other Bokoblin apart from the leader had literally frozen. Seriously, they were not moving a muscle. Once chatting, fighting and talking, they were suddenly stilled. The fighting Bokoblin were completely stuck, one in the process of doing a flying kick. He was stuck in the air, keeping the motion completely still. The horses were still too, one even paused in mid-blink. And not only were the Bokoblins stuck, but it seemed everything in their environment was as well. Some water droplets that were flicked from the branches overhead were now hovering above the students' heads, and they too were stuck in that awestruck gaze.

The leader moved to each student, delicately picking the rocks from their grasp and placing them in his satchel. Then, for good measure it seemed, he strolled over to the fighting pair of Bokoblin and gave the flying one a swift kick to the groin. I winced. Even though they had tough skin, nothing could protect you from the nutshot.

Satisfied with his work, the leader sat down on the end of the wagon, giving the stone a hard slap as he plonked himself down. The blue light slowly faded and ceased to exist, and slowly things started moving again. The water droplets fell on the heads of the students, they gasped in amazement, and the flying Bokoblin collapsed in a heap with a yell.

"Ow, my balls!" he screeched, clutching his berries with a hand. The other Bokoblin backed off, knowing what just happened and having the utmost sympathy for his fighting buddy.

"And there you have it. Though you probably wouldn't know what happened if I hadn't showed you the time stone first." _Time stone?_ "I want you to practice with these. There's plenty to go around, but try not to lose them, of course."

The students nodded excitedly, desperate to get to work on finding out what secrets the aevium held. I was stunned. Link was telling the truth! Not that I doubted him.

I had to get back, and fast. I had just witnessed first-hand what aevium could do. It was like a frightening glimpse into the future, a future with burning buildings and screaming children, the bodies of the murdered strewn across courtyards . This could spell disaster worse than the dark time of Twilight.

I sprinted away as fast and as quietly as I could, knowing full well that those Bokoblin would have killed me straight away. Unless you can lie through your teeth to them in their own language that you're simply a traveller, they won't take any chances.

I remembered the vague direction of where I was meant to go, so thankfully I hadn't gotten lost as Link feared. Soon Link's horse came into view, visibly alarmed that there was a frantic man sprinting towards the cave in a panic. I entered, shouting for Link with a voice of fear, panic and excitement.

"What, what, what?" he asked in as panicky a voice as mine. I was so out of breath that my words barely formed a coherent structure, let alone a sentence.

"I… was… there… aevium… Bokoblins..." I gasped, doubling over. Thankfully Link was already calm.

"Easy there, Azelon. Have some water, you look like you need it," he stated with an eyebrow raised.

"Uhh… huh… thanks..." I panted, forcing some soothing liquid down my gullet. Link looked at me with amusement, arms folded.

"What happened to you? You were out there for at least half an hour doing Goddess knows. I take it you couldn't find any kindling?"

I shook my head, taking large gulps of water and trying to calm down. Not only had I seen aevium in action, but it was everything I had dreamed of… and feared. It was too big of a discovery for me not to be both excited and frightened by.

"No… no, I… at first I was looking for the grass. But… then I heard… Bokoblin voices so… I went out there to investigate," I wheezed. Had I always been this out of shape? Maybe my body just didn't agree with sprinting.

Link looked at me with genuine interest on his face, which was now covering over his earlier amusement.

"Carry on, carry on," he beckoned me to keep talking. "What else did you see?"

So I told him all I could remember. About the fighting Bokoblin, the students and the leader. He nodded as I told the story, even asking questions throughout it. He even laughed when I told of the leaders crunching one of his pack's balls.

I couldn't quite get a grasp on it. I was talking about a Bokoblin's bruised testicles as the Hero of Twilight laughed and slapped his knee. It had been such a surreal last couple of days that I was sure I was going to faint from brain overload.

When I finished my story, Link was quiet for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes and placing a hand on his chin in a pondering thought.

"So this 'aevium'," he whispered wistfully. "What did it look like again?"

"Well at first it was black… kind of like coal but less brittle-looking, if that makes sense. And then when he hit it, it sort of glowed with this weird blue pattern. And it kind of pulsed, although that could have been me imagining things."

"I don't think you were," Link stated plainly. He rummaged in his bag for a second. What he pulled out almost made me fall off my tree stump in shock.

"Y-Y-Y-You have aevium too?!" I yelled in disbelief.

Link grinned and passed the small stone from palm to palm.

"Cool, huh? I nabbed a few of these from the scientists back at Hyrule Castle while they weren't looking."

"Whuh? Link, you can't just take something like aevium from the castle! We don't even know what might happen if we misuse it!" I was also in shock that the Hero of Twilight would take something without permission, though I didn't vocalise my opinion on that matter. That was for another time.

"Oh, pshaw," Link scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "I think after my services to Hyrule I should be entitled to have some fun, wouldn't you agree?"

I was stunned, really. Link had turned out to be someone completely different than what I had imagined. If anything it was quite reassuring not to feel like I had to be different around him.

"Well, I suppose so..." I muttered in a defeated tone. Hero of Twilight or not, I still couldn't deal with him taking the stones from the scientists. He could tell from my face that I wasn't best pleased.

"Oh, what's with that look?" Link said with a pout. "I bet you anyone who knows about aevium would sneak right in and nab it if they had the chance."

"Yes, but not you, Link!"

The corners of Link's mouth twitched. He couldn't hold it in. That laugh he had been holding for the past few minutes. A real knee-slapper, he was.

"Oh, the look on your face..." he breathed between chuckles. "You were so serious about the whole thing. I'm glad I picked you for this mission."

_Oh yeah, my mission_. I still had no idea what that entailed.

"Listen to me now," he said in a more serious tone, regaining his composure. "There were some things I couldn't tell you yesterday, but you can hear them now." I leant forward and listened to what he had to say.

"I don't know if you already knew this or not, but I'm actually part of the Hylian Guard."

Come to think of it, I remember seeing his cloak, with that embroidered Hylian crest on the back. Yes, that's where I recognised it from: the Hylian Guard.

"As part of the Hylian Guard, I've been tasked along with everyone else to go out and look for this aevium." He held out the stone to emphasize his point. "And like everyone else I've been spending years trying to find it, to no avail."

He flicked his hair up from his forehead. I mused in my head that he really should have gone to see a hairdresser in Hyrule Castle Town.

"But I've come to realise that we've been going about this all wrong. We're never going to find the stash if we just keep intercepting little Bokoblin nobodies. We have to find the big guys. And to do that means having to communicate with the Bokoblins we do capture." He scratched the back of his neck. "That's where you come in."

"Me?" I knew some of the Bokoblin language but to hell with communicating with those beasts!

He sat forward and placed his chin on his hand. "You should realise that Hogsnest is actually a really important village for Hyrule Castle Town. It supplies them with a lot of food. Especially for festivals organised by the royal family."

"Really?" I asked, feeling a little proud of my humble, pig-filled origins.

Link nodded. "And as such, the royal family talked extensively with the mayor of Hogsnest with discussions of trade and such."

"They spoke with the mayor?"

He nodded again. "Yes, and so did I. Long story short, turns out you're one of the best recon agents in the business. And quite well-versed in many different languages, no less."

"He said that about me?" I beamed in awe. I could feel my head swelling with egotistical pleasure.

"Yep, and that's why I need you," Link said, holding out his hand. I grasped it firmly, as my father always taught, and gave it a good shake. "We're gonna capture some Bokoblins and get some information out of them. Hopefully we can get some good stuff soon. The royal family are getting desperate."

I nodded in understanding, but something came back to mind.

"Wait, capturing Bokoblins? I'm not a good fighter, you know."

He waved his hand dismissively again. "You needn't worry about that. I can do all the capturing. But it would be nice to teach you some moves so you could come along too. I prefer to fight alongside people, really."

I didn't know whether or not I should have been looking forward to that, so I smiled and nodded politely. I had never had a fight in my life, so it would be a new experience for me.

"Besides, and this is a little embarrassing for me to admit..." Link muttered self-consciously, twiddling his thumbs and looking down. "I haven't the foggiest idea about survival skills."

Now that I was surprised at.

"But… you're the great Hero of Twilight! Surely you had to camp out on some weeks just to kill some monsters you've been chasing or something, right?"

He shook his head. "I was always near accommodation, so I guess I never had the need to learn."

I shook my head too. "That's amazing. I never thought of it that way."

"That's where you come in!" he exclaimed. "The mayor also mentioned you had a knack for survival skills. I mean, just this morning you already knew about the grass being wet simply by looking at it." He looked down again. "Like I said, I have no idea."

My head swelled up a bit more. "Well, I suppose I do have a bit of a talent for that kind of stuff." I felt my face heat up at the mere mention of my talents, and cursed my brain for acting so childish.

"Then it's settled!" Link exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, what is?"

"I don't know how long it's gonna be, but you and I are gonna team up to find this aevium source. With both of our skills combined we're sure to succeed."

"We're not?" I felt a rising excitement coming from my stomach. Team up? With the Hero of Twilight?! I mean I know he told me to treat him like everyone else but my Goddesses does he make it hard.

Link gave me a toothy smile. "Hell no, we're not. After all, as long as someone knows how to make a fire, you can go to sleep knowing you've got a good night ahead of you."

He extended his hand again, which I shook again. He smiled at me.

"Looks like you're on fire duty from now on, huh, Mr. Survivalist?"

I laughed and groaned inwardly at the same time.

_I hope I'm not on 'laundry duty' too..._


	4. IV - Eon (Part 4)

**A/N: Thank you to Norkix, SuccessfulFailure23, Guest and (yaaaay!) alwaysingirl for your reviews!**

**Norkix: Thanks for the review dude! And I'm true to my word: you shall get a mention :D And yep, 'tis fixed. Cursed be fast fingers :/**

**SuccessfulFailure23: Thanks man! Sorry I kept you waiting for so long... But yeah, expect to see a lot of meanie Bokoblins doing bad things to each other and our heroes. Hoo boy!**

**Guest: Thank you! :)**

**alwaysingirl: Aieeee you're here! Thank you for reviewing my new fic! And I promise I'll get to yours soon! And yeah, Link is a great character who, oddly enough, I think doesn't get enough recognition for how cool he is. Wielder of the Master Sword man, come on! Thanks again! :D**

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**Whoops, it's that time of day when I say thanks to Norkix for making my story a lot more bearable than it could be. If you like it, blame him! (And read his stuff too)**

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IV – Eon Part 4

Soon after forging our alliance, Link finally got the fire going and we ate breakfast together. I was of the opinion that my portion was too small, but I wasn't one to turn down hospitality when it presented itself. As soon as we had finished, the sounds of rain began to drum on the entrance of the cave, so Link moved his horse inside and fastened the rope to a small rock formation near the entrance.

Link and I talked more about our mission – what it would involve and the implications of it. Link was right: the location of the large stash of aevium could mean the end of Hyrule and mankind as we knew it.

The only question was what the Bokoblins were thinking of doing with it. Now that I thought of it, when I saw the group of Bokoblins in the clearing, it seemed as though they were still learning what was possible with aevium. It was really like a race between the Bokoblins and Hyrule's scientists… human versus beast. A race of researchers trying to unlock the secrets of this powerful new weapon.

One thing I learned during my recon duties was to never underestimate the Bokoblins' intelligence. Although some favoured brute force, others used cunning strategies to get what they wanted. In that way, they were sort of like us. Some of us liked to use brute force, while others were a bit more intelligent with their methods.

"So," Link sighed, clearing his plate from scraps. "Now we just have some business to take care of before we can go out and start investigating."

"Business?" I inquired, feeling an instinctive unease in his tone of voice.

"Yeah, official business." Link rolled his eyes. "It's tiresome really, but if we're going to set out and do this, we sort of need clearance from the Royal Family."

I was confused at this. After all, Link being the hero he was, I was sure he didn't have to answer to anyone, and he could follow his own agenda. Part of me wondered why he wanted to join the Hylian Guard for this reason, unless he didn't know his wings would be clipped.

"Since when does the Hero of Twilight need permission to save the world?" I mused jokingly. Link shook his head.

"It's official stuff. Business stuff. If you're part of the Hylian Guard you have to report your actions and findings to the Royal Family, otherwise you'd be off the team. In some cases, if you had set off on a particularly political expedition, you could be arrested for treason."

I was stunned at this. The fact that one could be arrested for investigating dangerous movements - even movements that could undermine the security of Hyrule herself - had never occurred to me.

"Well, that's absurd!" I exclaimed. "Surely if it's in the interests of Hyrule's protection…"

"Actually something happened a long time ago," Link said with a sigh. "Someone from the Hylian Guard had gone and made trade relations with another race without first consulting with the Royal Family. Why he did that, we still don't know."

"Trade?" I asked. "Trade for what?"

"We're not sure, to be honest with you. We never got the items promised. Turns out he had opened an avenue for the Moblins to get into Hyrule Castle. The princess – queen, rather – was lucky to get out alive. But many men lost their lives that day."

Link flicked his hair from his forehead, scratching it as he drew his hand back. He was really uptight about the whole situation with the Hylian Guard and the Royal Family, but I needed answers and information. I decided to press on.

"So how did they get in?"

"Well, usually with trade relations we have a team designated to handle negotiations, but they rarely go out to the other races. Normally, they come to us, with a certification of trade from; guess who?"

"The man from the Hylian Guard?"

"Yep," Link nodded. "Turns out, back then we didn't need the queen's signature for the certification of trade. Men from the Hylian Guard had enough authority to get anyone in or out without the Royal Family catching so much as a whiff of monkey business."

The information was slowly clicking together and forming a beautiful, complete picture. From all the events that had transpired during those times, it could be concluded that the man from the Hylian Guard was actually a spy for the Moblins, albeit a human, working for months or even years with the Hylian Guard. Probably for money, the poor fool.

"And now you know. Everything has to be checked vigorously and with no bias. We have a team of people who hear out the requests of the men from Hylian Guard and refer them to the Royal Family." He shook his head in frustration. "You know, we never did catch that guy."

My eyes bulged. "He's still out there?"

"Trust me, he's been near the top of our list for the past ten years. Not the _very_ top, though. That would be the aevium issue."

I nodded slowly, allowing the information to come together in one final effort. A spy got into the Hylian Guard, allowing trade relations with a group of Moblins, then left as soon as things got heated. It was likely an assassination attempt on Queen Zelda.

"That's pretty much it," Link said, packing his stuff into a pouch. "We try to keep our eyes open for those issues. Though I'm very sure something major is gonna go down soon."

"Just from your gut feeling?" I asked.

"Last time I had that gut feeling, the kids of Ordon Village got captured a couple weeks later." He tapped his nose and winked. "Let's just say I have a knack for finding trouble."

I nodded slowly, wondering just what exactly I was falling into. It was a bit late for second thoughts, though.

We chatted a little more before Link finally decided it was time to go. We had to travel to Hyrule Castle to talk to the Royal Family and get the go-ahead to set off on our little side mission. Link was pretty confident about his chances, probably since he knew Queen Zelda well.

We exited the cave, enthusiastic about the day ahead. Link told me we would go about the town after we finished our business with the Royal Family, something I was very excited about. I had only been to the town as a kid, on rare occasions, but the splendor and glory of the buildings there overwhelmed me, a simple boy from a farm town. Perhaps that's how my parents felt on their first visit. It wasn't hard to see why Hyrule Castle Town was the most sought after place to live.

Link walked up to his horse, giving it a pat before checking the saddle. It let out a snuffle of greeting to us.

"I forgot!" Link exclaimed suddenly. "I never introduced you two, did I?" Link held the horse's reins in a way that looked as though it was facing me. "Azelon, meet your trusty steed, who may even save your life one day, Angwen."

Angwen threw his head back at the mention of his name. _A delight to meet you_, _Sir Azelon,_ I voiced in my head. Well, maybe I didn't know enough about horse body language to know what that motion meant.

"Come now. The saddle will be enough to hold us both," Link said. I nodded and waited for him to put his stuff on and swing his legs up onto Angwen. It was definitely one of the bigger horses I'd seen. It was a struggle for me to lift my legs onto the stirrups, and Link had to help me on. Then again, I was a little shorter than Link. Yeah, that's what it was.

We set off, Link already seeming to know the precise route to take. Most of the snow had melted due to a rain shower last night, with only small piles of slush remaining. As we entered the forest – 'a shortcut, although a little tough to manoeuvre', Link said– I felt a great calm wash over me, dulling all my senses but sound. Angwen walked slowly, her metal shoes crunching softly in the snow. Birds in the trees flitted and sang, their early morning chorus slowly bringing musical colour to the grey morning. Besides these there was no other sound. The air was perfectly still, almost unnaturally so. Memories of recon missions in the snow swept through my head. It's funny how the brain associates stimuli with memory and emotion in this regard. The stimuli were laid out to me now, and I had always felt calm during the recon missions.

I remained dazed for a little while before I heard Link let out an exasperated sigh.

"Is something wrong?" I asked tentatively when he didn't elaborate.

He kept looking straight ahead, the only clue to his expression being his slow breathing. I couldn't see his face to know how he felt.

"Look, Azelon," he said in a low voice. "I need to know that I can trust you. I mean, not only is this whole situation important for the world, but it's important to me."

I was somewhat taken aback. A wave of indignation travelled through me, offended that he didn't trust me. But I realised that it was true. Link barely knew me. He had only known me for half a day. And this was a serious endeavour, something which neither of us could screw up. Still, I didn't know how to respond.

"I'm telling you that you can," I said slowly, searching for words, "but something tells me you need to me to show you. Somehow."

Link looked back at me, eyes hardened for a second. They softened gradually as they studied my face. I tried to look as serious as possible, but I wasn't very good at forcing facial expressions.

"Not exactly. Trust is a bond. Bonds rely on work from both or all parties. So I'm going to entrust you with some information about this mission." He paused, then added, "Personal information."

He looked back forward. From the way he rotated his shoulders I could tell that craning his neck caused them to ache a little.

"How much do you know about the Queen?" he asked, facing forward.

"Not terribly much. Just what went around in the news. I know of her marriage, some business deals and alliances. That's just about the extent of it."

"Right. The news doesn't say much else besides, huh?" The question was rhetorical.

I said nothing, watching the back of his head. He wasn't wearing his trademark hat, which was part of his costume, based on old Kokiri ensemble. Instead, his head was covered by his sandy hair, which was greying at an alarming rate for his age.

"Okay, I'll tell you another reason why this mission is so important to me. The aevium will help me considerably when I get to a special place. You won't have heard of this from the news about my adventures, but I was with a dear friend throughout them. A friend who's now gone from this world."

My instinct was sympathy. The euphemism was clear.

"Oh… I'm very sorry, Link," I said softly.

He looked back at me quickly and beamed. My confused face asked the question I didn't verbalise.

"You think she died?" He laughed lightly, a beautiful burst of sound amidst the windy silence. "No, she's not dead at all! I mean she is literally no longer in this world."

"Oh! Right…" I was still confused.

"See, people know of the Twili now that I encountered and dealt with them. Some people still don't believe they exist, and those that do know nothing of them. But I can tell you everything about them. After all, my companion through the adventure was a Twili."

My eyes bulged. Link said things so calmly and normally that any random passerby wouldn't give what he said a second thought. He travelled with… a Twili… Magic users powerful beyond measure; rarer than diamond to see, much less encounter.

"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt," I said raising a hand, "but you're saying you travelled with one of the most elusive race known in Hylian history? And you're saying this like it's no big deal?"

Link smirked and looked at me with mischievous eyes. "Azelon. I'm 47 years old. I'm the so-called Hero of Twilight. I've met and dealt with the Royal Family. You can't let everything I've done or have yet to do surprise you, because you'll just have permanent lockjaw."

"I know. I get that. It's just hard to get my head around it. I haven't exactly had an adventurous life." I frowned a bit at saying that. Yeah, what exactly was I gonna do with the rest of my life?

"Oh, you will, don't worry about that!" Link exclaimed gleefully. I perked up at his voice, feeling a rush of excitement, hope and anticipation.

"I don't know how long this mission alone is going to take," he carried on. "There's so many things that we have to do. Maybe even things that I don't know about. But I picked you for a reason, and you're going to enjoy it no matter what happens."

The conviction in his startling eyes bored into me for a few seconds. Yeah. What had I been doing? What was I going to do? Was my job going to save the world? No. This was. I needed to take this opportunity by the horns and stop worrying. Unless, of course, I had to fight off Bokoblin generals, in which case… no thank you. I could do the cooking and cleaning, Link could do the fighting and dying.

I chuckled to myself at that little joke, before I remembered that Link was going to teach me some moves. Meaning he expected me to see some action. Great.

"Right," Link said, "So my point from before was that I need aevium to get to a special place. A specific kind of aevium. You see, there's more than just the aevium that stops time. There are different colours of aevium that are more powerful than the rest and have different effects. The colour is just a way of showing the different levels of energy."

I nodded along with his words, remembering my science lessons back in Hogsnest and wondering whether a teacher from that little town would be knowledgeable enough about this stuff to have taught us. At least we have the anatomy of a pig firmly memorised.

"One of these kinds is red. Well, not really red, more like a... pinkish-brown? I don't know. But that isn't important. What's important is that this type of aevium can, for a limited amount time, reverse time in an area."

My jaw dropped without me noticing. I really did have to get used to this.

"Back in time?! I mean, how? Oh, this is so weird and amazing at the same time," I sputtered, head spinning from imagining all the possibilities. And apparently there were more types of aevium.

Link nodded and empathised with my amazement. I had a feeling this is how he was too when he first discovered it, but he's now so used to it it's just another tool to him, like his sword.

"Yeah, we… only have a little bit of that one. The blue one that stops time is the most common type of aevium. But we're trying to get as much as possible back from the Bokoblins whenever we find it, all while trying to get to… let's call it The Land of Time." He looked back at me and grinned widely. "That sounds pretty good actually."

So there was aevium to stop time and go back in time. I could barely fathom the fact that that existed, let alone the science behind it. Maybe it was magic? Those that knew of the Twili had said they were powerful magic-users, after all. To think that this magic was here all along, though, gave me chills. That such a powerful magic may not just exist, but it exists very close to us.

I recalled the reason Link was telling me about the red aevium.

"So why do you need this red aevium? For a noble reason I hope, and not just to steal and play about," I said with my mother's scolding voice. Link laughed it off exactly as I had before. Not exactly the most effective scolding voice, then.

"No, don't worry. I know how rare red aevium is and I wouldn't misuse it. But, basically… that friend that I was telling you about? The Twili? I need to use it to see her again. See, that thing about her being gone from this world? It's basically true."

"So…" I tried to wrap my head around things. "She's from the sky or something? You met her when you went there?"

Link chuckled softly. "No, it's kind of complicated. She's sort of from another dimension, to put it plainly. A world completely opposite to ours."

Putting it plainly didn't really help. I still didn't get much of what Link said so I simply nodded to let Link explain.

"Well, basically, the only way to get to this dimension is through a magical mirror. The Mirror of Twilight."

I nodded. Yes, I vaguely remember hearing about that.

"But, for some reason I don't understand…" Link carried on, his voice becoming melancholy, "she broke it just after she left. Completely shattered. I didn't get a word of explanation for it."

The melancholy caused the air around to become heavy, dragging us to the ground, causing us to feel sadness. Coupled with the grey air and dead trees surrounding us, I could tell that this was someone Link cared for a lot.

"I'm really sorry, Link. I'm sure she had a good reason," I said softly, patting him on the back.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I know. She wouldn't have done it for no good reason. She wasn't that type of person." He sighed and rotated his shoulders again, shaking Angwen's reins. I just noticed he was unconsciously weaving in between the trees, even when he was looking back at me.

"But, the Mirror was totally destroyed. And for thirty years I haven't got any answers. That's the reason why I want to get enough red aevium to go back in time long enough to fix the mirror, enter the Twilight Realm and talk with her for a long while. But it'll take a lot of the aevium to do that."

He sighed and leaned back slightly to avoid getting a twig to the face. I digested everything he had said. From his thoughts and actions, I could tell that he was very fond of this companion he once had. To go thirty years without seeing her must have been hard. To top it off, the reason why was never spoken of. Perhaps if there was a reason for what happened, Link could have moved on. I had some idea of how strong he is from what I'd heard of his adventures, but seeing him in front of me, back upright with authority, made me realise that he was much stronger than anyone had made him out to be.

"We'll find that aevium, Link," I said reassuringly. "And I'll help you in any way I can."

Link shook his head slowly. "Listen, that part of the mission… it's my own. It has nothing to do with our joint mission. Besides, the queen may not approve of it, so I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Link… look at me," I said with a quivering voice. He looked back, neck stretching further than before. He was listening well.

"You saved my life. I don't care whether it was for a higher purpose or mission or whatever. Bottom line. You saved my life. I hate owing people, no matter who they are. So I'm going to help you in whatever way I possibly can."

Link's eyes softened as he grinned again. I had never dedicated myself to anyone, but someone as just and brave as Link, for a noble cause such as this, made me feel like it was mandatory. Not just because there were lives on the line, but answers to a man's grief. That almost made it twice as important as before.

"Thanks, Azelon. This is so important to me," Link said softly. I smiled back. Whatever happened, I couldn't let him down.

We had been walking for about an hour by this point, weaving through the dead trees. Their branches reached out to us like claws, never quite reaching the necks of their prey. I broke off a twig from a passing branch, feeling it in my hands. My nose took in the still air, full of water vapour and the smell of earth. Beautiful, if nothing else. Winter was my favourite month for this, amongst other reasons.

The fog was somewhat thick, but soon the trees began to thin. Eventually they stopped altogether and we were out in a field, a river to our right and a bridge crossing the river on our left. Soon the fog of the morning seemed to lift, revealing what was probably one of, if not the grandest building in all of Hyrule.

Hyrule Castle rose in the distance in all its majesty, bustling markets and residential areas safely nestled under its wings. The Hylian Crest, multiplied many times over, dotted the walls of the castle and the outer walls, with gold forming the Triforce.

"Wow…" I breathed involuntarily. I knew I had been here before, but that was years ago. Since then, work and renovations had gone under way to improve the buildings and make the castle even more stunning.

"I know," Link said wistfully. "Nothing quite comes close, huh?"

"Yeah," I replied instinctively. Of all the things I've seen, yes, nothing comes close.

"Well…" Link mused, "I can think of a sight that might just about have the majesty of Hyrule Castle."

I was surprised at this.

"What would that be?" I asked.

"The queen of that castle herself. And we'll get to see her. Come on, Angwen."

Link shook the reins and Angwen took off past the bridge. After that I didn't notice anything. I was too busy trying to still the roaring blood in my ears.

Queen Zelda. I get to meet… Queen Zelda.

What a start to a morning.


End file.
